Positively controlled wobble-sifting machine

ABSTRACT

A separator for grain and similar products, which comprises a substantially vertical driver shaft having an upper end, and an eccentric driven shaft located above and inclined with respect to the driver shaft. The eccentric driven shaft has an upper end and a lower end, and a product receiving casing is located above and receives rotatably the upper end of the driven shaft, so as to wobble when the driven shaft orbits about driver shaft. The casing is arranged to assume the inclination of the driven shaft. An arrangement for transmitting motion from the driver shaft to the driven shaft is provided and the arrangement comprises a baseplate fixed to the upper end of the driver shaft and a supporting plate fixed to the lower end of the eccentric driven shaft. The baseplate includes a slide radially movable on the baseplate. Hinge means connect pivotally the baseplate to the supporting plate about two imaginary axes disposed at a substantially right angle relative to and independently from each other for setting the radial angle about one of the axes and the tangential angle about the other of the axes of the supporting plate relative to the baseplate, so that the supporting plate is pivotable about both axes into different positions of the eccentricity of the driven shaft independently of the adjustment of the inclination thereof. Also securing means are provided which cooperate with the hinge means for holding the supporting plate in any one of a plurality of different positions of inclination in two directions and eccentricity.

United States Patent [72] Inventors OskarAllgaier Wangen near, Goppingen; Hans Angermann, Munich. both of, Germany [2 1] Appl. No. 822,415

[22] Filed May 7, 1969 [45] Patented June 1, 1971 [73] Assignee Allgaier-Werke GMBH Uhingen/Wurttemberg, Germany [32] Priority May 18, 1968 [33] Germany [54] POSITIVELY CONTROLLED WOBBLE-SIFTING Primary Examiner-Milton Kaufman Attorney-Emest G. Montague ABSTRACT: A separator for grain and similar products, which comprises a substantially vertical driver shaft having an upper end, and an eccentric driven shaft located above and inclined with respect to the driver shaft. The eccentric driven shaft has an upper end and a lower end, and a product receiving casing is located above and receives rotatably the upper end of the driven shaft, so as to wobble when the driven shaft orbits about driver shaft. The casing is arranged to assume the inclination of the driven shaft. An arrangement for transmitting motion from the driver shaft to the driven shaft is provided and the arrangement comprises a baseplate fixed to the upper end of the driver shaft and a supporting plate fixed to the lower end of the eccentric driven shaft. The baseplate includes a slide radially movable on the baseplate. Hinge means connect pivotally the baseplate to the supporting plate about two imaginary axes disposed at a substantially right angle relative to and independently from each other for setting the radial angle about one of the axes and the tangential angle about the other of the axes of the supporting plate relative to the baseplate, so that the supporting plate is pivotable about both axes into different positions of the eccentricity of the driven shaft independently of the adjustment of the inclination thereof. Also securing means are provided which cooperate with the hinge means for holding the supporting plate in any one of a plurality of different positions of inclination in two directions and eccentricity.

PATENTEDJUN :1 197i 3.581.898

SHEET 1 0F 2 INVENTORS OSKAR ALLGAIER Y HANS ANGERMANNI ATTORNEY.

' PATENTED JUN nan SHEET 2 [1F 2 mvcmons OSKAR ALLGAIE HANS ANGER MA ATTORNEY.

PUSTTHVELY CONTROLLED WOBBILE-SIIFTING MACHTNE The present invention relates to separators, in general, and more particularly to a positively controlled wobble-sifting machine, which may be used for classifying fractions of husked or unhusked grain and similar products.

It is already known to displace a separator comprising a sifter set retained elastically against rotation by means of an eccentric driven shaft, which is adjustable as to its inclination with respect to a driver shaft into a movement swinging out of the horizontal. The setting of the inclination of the eccentric driven shaft takes place in the known sifting machines by displacement of a wedge-member, which is disposed between a baseplate connected with a vertical driver shaft and a plate carrying the eccentric driven shaft, which plate is connected for a tipping movement with the baseplate and is equipped with several steps. This known adjustment device permitted only an adjustment of the inclining angle of the eccentric driven shaft in comparatively few rigid steps.

It is one object of the present invention to provide separators and a wobble-sifting machine, in particular, the swinging movement ofwhich can be controlled by variation of the radial and the tangential inclination angle of the eccentric driven shaft and of the eccentric measure as much as possible exact and with the lowest working expenditure over the entire range which is to be considered between the angle and an eccendesired angular position and eccentricity. In practical operation of the wobble-sifting machine it has been shown, that the passage of the sifting goods depends very sensitively upon the inclination angle of the eccentric driven shaft, so that a setting exactness of the inclined angle to about 1/10 (corresponding with 6 angular minutes) is very much desirable. In order to simplify the adjustment of the machine foot stand receiving the driving shaft during the mounting to an exact horizontal position, it is furthermore desirable, to adjust the axis of the eccentric driven shaft up to a parallel position to the drive shaft. In this position of the eccentric driven shaft (with the inclination angle 0), the sifting machine can be horizontally adjusted in the simplest manner exactly by means of a water level applied to the machine during the mounting.

The above-described objects are obtained in accordance with the present invention substantially such, that the inclined eccentric shaft is disposed on a supporting plate, which is held on a slide displaceable endlessly and supported simultaneously in radial direction relative to a baseplate and crossed by two axles at a right angle preferably in a ball joint relative to the radial angle as well as to the tangential angle independently from each other endlessly for adjustment of the angle. The endless and independent adjustability of the eccentric driven shaft to any radial and tangential angular oblique angles about two axes crossing each other at a right angle and to any selected eccentricity measure simplifies once the mounting of the machine with the eccentric drive shaft set for the inclined angle of 0 with correction of all working tolerances which are unavoidable during the manufacture and makes possible furthermore a fast and exact setting to values most favorable for the prevailing sifting goods of the radial and tangential oblique angle, as well as of the eccentricity.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the wobblesifting machine of the present invention resides in the fact that three screw bolts with nuts are provided connecting the slide and the carrying plate for the setting of the inclined angle, of which screw bolts two are disposed on the swinging axis for the setting of the radial angle and one on the swinging axis for the setting of the tangential angle and which have ball faces for engagement on the supporting plate and the slide, respectively. By this arrangement the adjustment of the inclined angle of the eccentric driving shaft can be obtained such that the radialand the tangential-inclined angle can be set by simple right or left rotation of one or of two screw nuts by means of a normal wrench in the shortest time and with the least expenditure on labor to any selected value, whereby the always nonset screw connection operates as pivot due to the ballshaped supporting faces.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention, which is shown by example only, will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. I is a schematic elevation of the wobble-sifting machine designed in accordance with the present invention seen from the front;

FIG. 2 is a schematic elevation of an end view of the wob ble-sifting machine;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through the settable connection between the eccentric driven shaft and the drive shaft at an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the connection shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a section along the lines 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, the wobble-sifting machine comprises a separator including an upper sifter set 1, in which one or a plurality of sieves 2 are disposed. The sifting material enters at an opening into the upper part of the sifter set 1 and emerges therefrom after separation of fine and coarse goods through the outlets 3' and 4!, respectively. The sifter set 1 is rotatably mounted on a bearing 5 disposed in the lower part thereof by means of an eccentric driven shaft A. The eccentric driven shaft A is rigidly connected with a carrying plate 6 which in turn is supported by means of a spherical cap 7 in a complementary ball-shaped recess 7 on the upper side of a slide 8, displaceable horizontally in radial direction and swingably in any direction. The carrying plate 6 is retained on the slide 8 by means of three screw bolts 9, l2 and 13 together with nuts 22, 26 and 27, whereby the screw connections are arranged such and equipped with ball-shaped bearings on heads and nuts, respectively, that the latter operate simultaneously kinematically as pivots. Furthermore, between the slide 8 and the supporting plate 6 are arranged pressure springs 21 and 21 outside of the connecting lines between the screw bolts 9, l2, and 9, 13, respectively, which assure even during the standstill of the machine a solid engagement of the peripheral cap 7 in the recess 7', if the centrifugal force operating during operation on the sieve set 1 is missing.

In the separator of FIG. 1, the casing 4 comprises several superposed annular sections including an uppermost section 4a which is rigid with the cover 13', with the sifter 3 and with the collecting bottom 6'; the third section 4c is rigid with the sifter ll; and the lowermost section Ad is rigid with the collecting bottom 7a. Such construction renders it possible to rapidly convert the separator for treatment and processing of different products because the number of sifters may be varied at will, i.e., sifters and collecting bottoms may be added, removed or exchanged in dependency on the ingredients and size of the product. The sections 4a'-4d' are held together by clamping rods 42, whose lower ends are pivoted to the section 4d and whose upper ends carry nuts 4] which may engage suitable brackets 43' provided on the uppermost section 4a.

The arrangement which transmits wobbling movements to the casing 4' comprises a drive means including a variablespeed electric motor 16a which drives a first pulley 161;. A belt 16c which is trained around the pulley 16b drives a second pulley t6 provided at the lower end of the driver shaft B which is mounted in bearings 10 carried by a stationary frame 111 which is fixed to the ground. This frame is coupled to the lowermost section 4d of the casing 4' by a series of uniformly distributed retaining means here shown as elastic cables 20, 20, which permit the casing to perform wobbling or shaking movements but which hold the casing against rotary movements.

On the underside of the scale discs 23 at the setting nuts 22, 26 and 27 for the inclination angle of the eccentric driven shaft A are provided a plurality, for instance, 12 radial grooves 32, which form jointly with balls 33 or the like being under spring pressure disposed at the upper side of the supporting plate 6 a resting device, and project from the heads of the screw bolts. This resting device makes possible an adjustment of the radialand tangential-inclination angle a and [3, respectively, of the eccentric driven shaft A also in accordance with the sound or the feeling, and constitutes simultaneously an effective security against undesired changes of the set inclination angles. By the centrifugal force effective during operation of the separator in radial direction on the sieve set structure 1, the screw connection 9 and 22 and by forces effective tangentially on the sieve set structure 1 depending upon the direction of the rotation of the driving shaft B and of the eccentric driven shaft A, only one of the screw connections 12, 26 and 13, 27, respectively, is subjected to pull. The heads of the screw bolts have radial pins projecting therefrom and being received in radial grooves. By displacement of the slide 8 relative to the baseplate 18, the eccentricity e of the eccentric driven shaft A rigidly connected with the supporting plate 6 can be endlessly adjusted up to a selected largest value from the value zero in radial direction. The slide 8 grips by prismatic guides 16, as dovetail guides, beyond the edges of the baseplate 18 rigidly connected with the driving shaft B and can be secured by tightening set screws l7 and 17 in the chosen or selected setting. The adjustment of the eccentricity e and the support against the radial centrifugal forces takes place about a screw spindle 28 and the holding member 31 secured to the base plate 18, as well as an adjustment nut 29 with a scale disc 30. By a guide pin 14 rigidly secured to the slide 8, which projects into a corresponding recess 14' in the supporting plate 6, the latter is secured against rotation about the upper axis.

While we have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only, and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. A separator for grain and similar products, comprising a substantially vertical driver shaft having an upper end,

an eccentric driven shaft located above and inclined with respect to said driver shaft,

said eccentric driven shaft having an upper end and a lower end,

a product .receiving casing located above and rotatably receiving the upper end of said driven shaft, so as to wobble when said driven shaft orbits about said driver shaft,

said casing being arranged to assume the inclination of said driven shaft,

an arrangement for transmitting motion from said driver shaft to said driven shaft,

said arrangement comprising a baseplate fixed to the upper end of said driver shaft and a supporting plate fixed to the lower end of said eccentric driven shaft,

said baseplate including a slide radially movable on said baseplate,

hinge means pivotally connecting said baseplate to said supporting plate about two imaginary axes disposed at a substantially right angle relative to and independently from each other for setting the radial angle about one of said axes and the tangential angle about the other of said axes of said supporting plate relative to said baseplate, so that said supporting plate is pivotable about both said axes into different positions of inclination with respect to said driver shaft, as well as into different positions of eccentricity of said driven shaft independently of the adjustment of the inclination thereof, and

securing means cooperating with said hinge means for holding said supporting plate in any one of a plurality of different positions of inclination in two directions and eccentricity.

2. The separator, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said hinge means for pivoting said supporting plate comprises three screwbolts extending through and connecting said slide with said supporting plate and being secured by nuts received by said screwbolts, two of said screwbolts are disposed on said other of said axes for setting said tangential angle of inclination,

one of said screwbolts is disposed on said one of said axes for setting said radial angle of inclination, and

the head of said screwbolts and said nuts have spherical faces for engagement with said slide and with said supporting plate, respectively.

3. The separator, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said slide and said supporting plate have a recess receiving the corresponding head of said screwbolts,

said heads of said screwbolts have radial pins projecting therefrom and being received in radial grooves provided in said recess, in order to prevent rotation of said screwbolts,

means for retaining said screwbolts in said slide, and said nuts include scale discs indicating the respective angles of inclination.

4. The separator, as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of said scale discs has a plurality of radially disposed grooves, and

said supporting plate includes a spring biased ball cooperating with said radially disposed grooves, to form a resting means operating to secure the elected position of said nuts and simultaneously operating as acoustic and touching setting assistance.

5. The separator, as set forth in claim 2, which includes additional supporting members disposed between said supporting plate and said slide, and holding a spherical cap at the lower end of said eccentric driven shaft in a recess of said slide complementary to said spherical cap.

6. The separator, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said additional supporting members comprise pressure springs.

7. The separator, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a guide pin rigidly secured to said slide,

said supporting plate having a bore receiving said guide pin for preventing rotation of said supporting plate relative to said baseplate and about said eccentric driven shaft.

8. The separator, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said slide is guided along said baseplate by a dove tail connection,

a screw spindle axially projecting from said slide and receiving a nut and a scale disc for setting a predetermined eccentricity and for receiving of the centrifugal forces during operation of said separator, and

set screws provided in said baseplate for securing said slide in the respective set positions. 

1. A separator for grain and similar products, comprising a substantially vertical driver shaft having an upper end, an eccentric driven shaft located above and inclined with respect to said driver shaft, said eccentric driven shaft having an upper end and a lower end, a product receiving casing located above and rotatably receiving the upper end of said driven shaft, so as to wobble when said driven shaft orbits about said driver shaft, said casing being arranged to assume the inclination of said driven shaft, an arrangement for transmitting motion from said driver shaft to said driven shaft, said arrangement comprising a baseplate fixed to the upper end of said driver shaft and a supporting plate fixed to the lower end of said eccentric driven shaft, said baseplate including a slide radially movable on said baseplate, hinge means pivotally connecting said baseplate to said supporting plate about two imaginary axes disposed at a substantially right angle relative to and independently from each other for setting the radial angle about one of said axes and the tangential angle about the other of said axes of said supporting plate relative to said baseplate, so that said supporting plate is pivotable about both said axes into different positions of inclination with respect to said driver shaft, as well as into different positions of eccentricity of said driven shaft independently of the adjustment of the inclination thereof, and securing means cooperating with said hinge means for holding said supporting plate in any one of a plurality of different positions of inclination in two directions and eccentricity.
 2. The separator, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said hinge means for pivoting said supporting plate comprises three screwbolts extending through and connecting said slide with said supporting plate and being secured by nuts received by said screwbolts, two of said screwbolts are disposed on said other of said axes for setting said tangential angle of inclination, one of said screwbolts is disposed on said one of said axes for setting said radial angle of inclination, and the head of said screwbolts and said nuts have spherical faces for engagement with said slide and with said supporting plate, respectively.
 3. The separator, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said slide and said supporting plate have a recess receiving the corresponding head of said screwbolts, said heads of said screwbolts have radial pins projecting therefrom and being received in radial grooves provided in said recess, in order to prevent rotation of said screwbolts, means for retaining said screwbolts in said slide, and said nuts include scale discs indicating the respective angles of inclination.
 4. The separator, as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of said scale discs has a plurality of radially disposed grooves, and said supporting plate includes a spring biased ball cooperating with said radially disposed grooves, to form a resting means operating to secure the elected position of said nuts and sImultaneously operating as acoustic and touching setting assistance.
 5. The separator, as set forth in claim 2, which includes additional supporting members disposed between said supporting plate and said slide, and holding a spherical cap at the lower end of said eccentric driven shaft in a recess of said slide complementary to said spherical cap.
 6. The separator, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said additional supporting members comprise pressure springs.
 7. The separator, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a guide pin rigidly secured to said slide, said supporting plate having a bore receiving said guide pin for preventing rotation of said supporting plate relative to said baseplate and about said eccentric driven shaft.
 8. The separator, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said slide is guided along said baseplate by a dove tail connection, a screw spindle axially projecting from said slide and receiving a nut and a scale disc for setting a predetermined eccentricity and for receiving of the centrifugal forces during operation of said separator, and set screws provided in said baseplate for securing said slide in the respective set positions. 